Fluorocarbon-based fluids are widely used in refrigeration, heat pump, air conditioning, and chiller applications. Fluorocarbons are used to transfer heat from an undesired location to a location where the heat is wanted. A purpose of refrigeration or air conditioning systems is to remove energy from a cool region. A purpose of a heat pump is to add energy to a hot region.
Physical properties of the refrigerant such as density, vapor pressure, and heat of vaporization help to determine what application is best for the refrigerant. Safety and environmental impacts of the refrigerant should also be considered. For example, the flammability, ozone depletion potential (ODP), and global warming potential (GWP) should be considered.
Mixtures of refrigerants are commonly used to match the desired physical properties of the refrigeration or heat pump system. Centrifugal chillers, however, can only accommodate pure or azeotropic refrigerants since non-azeotropic mixtures will separate in pool boiling evaporators decreasing the system performance.
An important factor to consider for a new refrigerant for use in a chiller is the COP (the ratio between the cooling capacity in KW to the energy consumed by the whole chiller in KW). The COP allows effective comparison of different refrigerants in a chiller system. The higher the COP, the more efficient the system is to convert energy into the desired cooling.